EPA clamps down on manufacture and fabrication of illegal mining equipment

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has clamped down five Chinese-owned warehouses for the illegal storage and fabrication of changfan machines and other equipment used in illegal small-scale mining operations at Anwiankwanta in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

The clamp down, which forms part of the government’s intensified efforts to combat galamsey, followed intelligence gathered by the EPA that several foreign-owned facilities in the area were serving as production and distribution hubs for changfan machines.

The importation, manufacture, and fabrication of changfan, the floating dredges used in illegal mining operations, have been banned by the government due to its devastating impact on Ghana’s rivers and ecosystems.

Upon inspection, the EPA taskforce discovered that the warehouses, which had been registered under the pretense of storing vehicle spare parts, were instead filled with hundreds of changfan machines, engine parts, and metal frames used for their assembly.

The operation also uncovered welding tools and other machinery used for the fabrication of illegal mining equipment.

Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority, who led the operation, expressed strong concern over the discovery.

She noted that the illegal production and distribution of changfan machines continued to fuel the destruction of the country’s water bodies and farmlands, undermining national environmental protection efforts.

Professor Klutse emphasised that the EPA would not relent in its mandate to enforce environmental regulations and dismantle the illegal supply chain that supported galamsey.

She said the operation at Anwiankwanta marked the beginning of a broader nationwide enforcement drive aimed at tracking similar illegal facilities in other parts of the country.

“This is a clear violation of Ghana’s environmental protection laws and the government’s directive banning changfan fabrication and use.

What we have seen here at Anwiankwanta is unacceptable.

The EPA, in collaboration with our partners, will ensure that all such illegal operations are closed, and those responsible are prosecuted,” Professor Klutse stated.

She added that the crackdown was not targeted at any particular group but was part of a collective national effort to restore the country’s degraded lands and rivers.

The EPA, she said, was working closely with the security services to intensify surveillance and ensure total compliance with environmental laws.

Residents of Anwiankwanta, who have long complained about the presence of illegal fabrication activities in the area, have commended the EPA for its bold action.

Many described the operation as timely, noting that the activities of these warehouses had been contributing indirectly to the surge of galamsey operations in the Bekwai Municipality and surrounding communities.

The EPA has since sealed off the warehouses, and all the equipment discovered on-site has been confiscated for further investigation.

The owners are expected to face prosecution under the country’s environmental protection regulations.

The Authority has also assured us that similar enforcement exercises would be replicated in other regions, including Western, Central, and Eastern, where Changfan operations are prevalent.

According to the EPA, the goal was to completely dismantle the industrial network that produced and supplied equipment used to destroy Ghana’s water bodies and arable lands.

This latest operation at Anwiankwanta underscores the government’s renewed commitment to protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable use of the country’s natural resources.

It also reaffirms the EPA’s determination to hold accountable all individuals and entities whose actions contribute to environmental degradation and the persistence of illegal mining in Ghana.

Source: GNA

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